Waterloo
by Readergirl37
Summary: Elijah figures out he and Elena are soulmates after meeting. Elejah, set in s2. Soulmate AU with some ABBA thrown in.


AN: I spent way too much time on decade dance research and also the band that plays in the beginning of the dance is Kula Shaker covering Hush by Joe South. Also for real, I love Waterloo, Lay all your love on me, and Honey Honey by Abba for Elejah. I listened to a lot of ABBA for this fic. I'm not even kidding. I wish I was kidding about how much ABBA this took. Also, my use of Waterloo is totally valid because they used My Boyfriend's back at the 50's dance but that song was released in 1963! School has kept me busy but I managed to finally finish this today! Sorry if the formattting is weird, FFN's been acting up when I've been trying to edit this.

* * *

Elijah looks down at his chest and then to the door where the two vampires who tried to kill him are escaping with Elena Gilbert. They didn't miss his heart, but he's still awake-there can only be one explanation. Elena is his soulmate and he has to approach this with caution.

* * *

"Boo," Damon whispers in her ear and Elena jerks. The knife in her hand slices her palm, blood pooling on the cutting board. The potatoes are bloody and her other hand instinctively goes to the cut, maybe she can stop the blood.

"Fuck," Elena curses and Stefan appears next to him, first aid kit in hand. Damon backs away and leans against the kitchen island, watching them be the nauseating couple that they are. Stefan frowns at him as Elena winces.

"Why do you have to sneak up on her? Why can't you just make noise and respect personal space?" Stefan asks, carefully pulling Elena's hand into his. Careful fingers pull hers away from her injured hand and wipe away the blood to reveal smooth skin. Damon raises an eyebrow as Elena looks to her hand.

"Do you have vampire blood in your system?" Stefan asks carefully and Elena shakes her head. She's not sure if she does, Elijah did rip her necklace off. There are several things she could have been compelled to do after that-and compelled to forget after.

"Maybe you're not her soulmate, maybe it's one of the vamps who kidnapped her," Damon teases but Elena thinks about Elijah, dark eyes and long history. Stefan frowns at Damon as Elena inspects her hand.

* * *

Elena feels like she just jumped out of her skin, Elijah is in her house, watching as books fall out of her arms.

"Here, let me help you," Elijah says and walks a few steps closer, leaning to gather books with her. His fingers almost touch hers and she jerks back, standing up as soon as she has the books in her arms again.

"Elijah's in town doing research on Mystic Falls," Jenna tells her and Elena focuses on calming down her heart. It's nerve wracking, waiting for him to leave, watching his car disappear down the street after what seems like an eternity. Having Jenna there isn't as comforting as it should be.

"Elena?" Jenna asks and she almost jumps again.

"Something interesting out there?" Jenna wonders and Elena realizes she's been staring out the window.

"No. Just got lost in my thoughts," Elena excuses. It's not technically a lie, she's thinking about her potential soulmate, the fact Elijah can get into their house and try to kidnap her (again), and that her phone is upstairs. There's a certain dread she feels, telling Jenna goodnight-she doesn't want to tell Damon that on top of Stefan being trapped, they didn't kill Elijah.

There's nothing at the top of the stairs, no one's in her room when she opens the door. A relieved sigh escapes her as she shuts the door and gets ready for bed. She'll tell Damon after she brushes her teeth, she just needs a minute of normal.

Elena gasps when she looks over and sees Elijah sitting on her window seat. Her heart is in her throat, eyes wide, as she presses herself against the wall and tries to think.

"Everything okay?" Jeremy asks through the door. Elena's eyes flicker to Elijah before she speaks.

"Yeah. I just stubbed my toe," Elena excuses, hoping Jeremy won't investigate further.

"Okay. Night," Jeremy says and Elena turns off the light, closes the bathroom door behind her. One of them needs to speak but she doesn't know what to say.

"Forgive the intrusion- I mean no harm to you or your family," Elijah says, and watches her raise an eyebrow at that. She adjusts her sweater and wishes he would stop staring.

"Why'd you kill those vampires who tried to take me to Klaus?" Elena asks the question that comes to mind.

"Because I didn't want you to be taken to Klaus. I don't want him to know you're here. If word gets out that you exist, there will be an army of people eager to take you to him and I can't have that," Elijah admits. He keeps his distance and she's thankful for that. She's not safe with him in the room, or even in the same town-he could easily compel her now, or just disappear in seconds. He could kill everyone in her house in a minute and there would be nothing she could do to stop him. She's always been aware of how dangerous vampires are.

"Aren't you here to keep me safe so he can kill me for the Sun and Moon curse?" Elena asks. Even if he is her soulmate, he's still planning on having her killed. Logically, she knows it's not Rose and Trevor is dead. That just leaves him, she realizes, staring at him.

"No. My goal is not to break the curse," Elijah clarifies and Elena watches him for a moment.

"So what is your goal?" Elena asks, watching his face.

"To keep you safe and to keep Klaus from breaking his curse," Elijah says. Elena crosses her arms-that sounds too good to be true, even if they might think they're soulmates.

"What's the catch?" Elena asks, eyes meeting his.

"I'm going to kill Klaus before he kills you. He's become a paranoid recluse, he only trusts those in his inner circle," Elijah begins.

"So he trusts you then?" Elena asks and he shakes his head slightly.

"Not anymore," Elijah says quietly. Elena gets the game, she's bait, if all goes well, Klaus will die and she won't.

"So I'm bait. Why do you want to kill him?" Elena asks.

"That's a very long story. I give you my word that I'll tell you another time," Elijah says.

"So what happens if I say no?" Elena wonders, challenge in her eyes.

"Then neither of us get what we want. Klaus will kill everyone you've ever met to get you, and I won't be able to kill him, the cycle will continue," Elijah informs her, getting up from her window seat.

"So what do you want me to do for this to work?" Elena inquires, keeping her voice even.

"I want you to do nothing. Live your life, stop trying to break the curse. When the time is right, we will lure Klaus out and I will kill him. You and your friends will remain unharmed," Elijah says simply, and it still sounds too good to be true.

"How can you keep everybody safe?" Elena asks, thinking of Caroline, Bonnie, Stefan's stuck in the tomb, Tyler, Matt, there's so many people to keep safe. She knows she can't do it alone.

"I have help, just like you have your friend Bonnie. We can keep everyone safe," Elijah tells her.

"How can I be sure you'll keep your word? If you're on Klaus's side, you could just lie to me or compel me and let him kill me, and he'll break his curse," Elena says.

"If I wanted to do that, I would have taken you to him already. It doesn't take very long for vervain to leave your system. I could compel you if I wanted to. Instead, you're staying here with your friends and family and I'm asking for your assistance," Elijah reminds her, slight swagger to his gait as he walks to her. He is her soulmate, but that doesn't mean she has to trust him.

"Have you ever compelled me other than those answers when we first met?" Elena asks and he shakes his head. She wants to hear him say it out loud and he does.

"I haven't," he promises.

"I'll agree to your terms if you get Stefan out of the tomb," Elena says, aware she's walking a fine line.

"We're negotiating?" Elijah asks, voice amused. Elena nods. He needs her and she needs him, they should both get something out of this.

"Consider it done. And by the way, tell your friends that staking me doesn't work," Elijah says. Elena can't help but raise an eyebrow.

"You can't be killed?" Elena asks curiously. Elijah grins slightly, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

"Thanks to a certain someone, I can't be incapacitated," Elijah hints and Elena freezes when he keeps speaking.

"Has anything like that happened to you recently?" Elijah inquires and Elena decides to put her cards on the table. Instead of simply telling him, she pulls her letter opener out and lets him wonder for a moment before she slices her hand again. The metal burns for a second and she sees split second horror on his face, they watch her palm stitch itself together in seconds.

"Interesting," Elijah says and Elena nods, blood drying on her hand.

"I also came to give you this," Elijah says, pulling something out of his jacket. Elena's breath catches-it's her necklace-repaired, dangling from his fingers. She reaches for it with her clean hand, and he lets go of it. She didn't think she was ever going to see her necklace again-she wonders if he knows she got it from Stefan. It's almost a sweet gesture, but she barely trusts him with her life for now-her heart is staying locked and guarded.

"We'll be in touch," Elijah promises before he disappears. It doesn't sound like a threat. Elena tries to clear her head and come up with a game plan.

* * *

Elijah keeps his word, soon Stefan is in her room, concerned eyes and trying to ask what the hell happened. He can smell the blood and see her necklace, of course he's going to ask questions. She doesn't have many answers and she knows she's going to have to break up with him. She can't date Stefan while she knows Elijah is her soulmate, but she needs to figure out what game Elijah's playing before she outs them both as soulmates. That's assuming Elijah even wants anything to do with her. Stefan has to know on some level that they're not soulmates-but neither of them bring that up. They've never managed to make it very far in their relationship, their first declarations were still conditional, they've always known they would be temporary and an in between relationship. They've always been fated to end and find their soulmates, their relationship has always been a stepping stone, and Elena is relieved about that.

"What happened to Katherine?" Elena asks. Stefan sits next to her on her bed and sighs. They both have some explaining to do. She wonders how much pain breaking up with him will cause, on both sides. Damon always makes comments, and she knows he likes her-but he knows he's not her soulmate. She wonders why he tries so hard, as far as she knows, he's not soulmates with Katherine either-his attachment isn't logical. As she thinks about it, she realizes her budding attachment to Elijah isn't very logical either.

* * *

Elena doesn't know what to do about Elijah. He's a mysterious and attractive problem. He is a eroteme in a designer suit with fangs. They haven't talked since they made a deal in her bedroom, and they both know the truth. It's the worst kind of waiting game. Everything with Katherine and Isobel-and Stefan and Elijah-it's all coming to a boil. She's about to leave the house when the doorbell rings.

She really should leave, she told Stefan they'd talk face to face-she'll keep that promise after she answers the door.

"Elena," Elijah greets her. He makes her name sound like a hello. He's not smiling exactly, but there's a quirk to his lips that makes him look friendly. He's probably had centuries to pass as human. Oddly enough, she still can't picture him with red eyes and fangs, covered in blood. Despite the fact she's known vampires and seen them, there are some images she can't get rid of, some thoughts she can't help but wonder.

"Elijah," she replies. He started it and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all.

"May I come in?" Elijah inquires. He seems so damn polite but she can still see him slapping Trevor's head off. He has no reason to harm her, though. If he wants her to trust him, he can earn it, she's not going to hand it over just because they're soulmates. He can't just show up and have her hand him her heart and trust with a smile.

"I was just about to leave, actually," Elena admits, raising her hand to show her car keys.

"To go see the Salvatores?" Elijah asks. While it's still fairly early, she really doesn't want to have this conversation out in the street. Some of her neighbors more prone to gossip might draw conclusions.

"I'd say come in, but you already have an invitation," Elena tells him and he smiles slightly. He crosses the threshold and she shuts the front door, and gestures to the living room. If Jenna or Jeremy walk in, they could lie and say they were talking about local history.

"It's the thought that counts," he replies simply and he sits first. He's always so confident, she wonders if that just comes from experience.

"There are a few things you and I should discuss," Elijah begins. Elena's phone beeps. She knows it's Stefan, she was supposed to be over a few minutes ago.

"Can we do it after I check in with Stefan?" Elena wonders, resisting the urge to look at her phone. Hopefully, Stefan and Damon don't assume the worst and she and Elijah have a few minutes. Something flickers across his face that she can't name.

"Rosemarie is living with them, correct?" Elijah asks. Elena nods. Of course he knows that, he seems to know everything.

"She was bitten by a werewolf. She's going to start hallucinating and she will be violent. While you now have your lovely healing factor, it won't help if she drains you dry. She'll be out of her mind and it would be best if you avoid her," Elijah informs her.

"Then you wouldn't have the main ingredient to break the curse and you'd lose your immunity to stakes," Elena comments dryly.

"Your life is my first concern. Not because you are part of breaking the curse. Not because you are my soulmate and in turn gave me a useful ability. I care because you are an innocent person caught in the crossfire of what's happening now, building to what will happen when Klaus comes. This is just the beginning," Elijah says with such conviction that she stops. She's already so tired of this. Stefan and Damon are trying to come up with loopholes so she doesn't die and everyone's ignoring the elephants in the room. She's going to die, and she found her soulmate recently. Elena can't tell what exactly he wants from her, and can't find anything to say so she just nods to that.

"Is there a cure to a werewolf bite that could save her?" she asks and he immediately shakes his head.

"Are you telling me no because you don't want to tell Stefan and Damon if there is one, or because there isn't one?" Elena asks.

"There is one. Technically. But it's too rare and unattainable to save Rosemarie in time. Even if I wanted to help her, I couldn't find it in a few hours, even if I wanted to," he replies. She notices that he doesn't actually name what's in the cure but she's been reading between the lines with Elijah.

So Rose really is going to just die, in pain, and out of her mind-they aren't close but she thinks Rose and Damon might be. Her ringtone breaks the silence in the room and she looks at caller ID. She shows it to Elijah before she answers.

"Hey, Stefan," she tries to sound upbeat.

"Hey, thought you were coming over. Everything okay?" Stefan asks. She can see the worried face he must be making and the way he's probably pacing in his room.

"Um, actually, Elijah stopped by with some information. He said Rose will start hallucinating and then she'll turn violent. So it'd be safer if we meet somewhere else and if Damon keeps an eye on her. There's not much anyone can do but keep her comfortable," Elena tells him. It'd be so cruel to mention that there's a cure and that it's out of reach-it would only frustrate them. Elijah's eyes on her are a heavy weight and she knows he notices what she doesn't say as much as what she does.

"Wait-is Elijah at your house right now? Where are you? How do you know he's telling the truth?" Stefan asks. Elijah can probably hear that she thinks before she answers.

"Elijah is with me and I'm fine. And I think he's telling the truth because he wouldn't gain anything by me getting attacked by Rose," Elena points out. Stefan sighs. She can feel the weight of Elijah's eyes on her, the way she talks to Stefan, he'll ask about it later.

"I'll warn Damon. Call me when you two are done talking. Love you," Stefan says carefully.

"I will. Love you too," Elena says quickly before he ends the call. Elijah's silent but somehow she still can feel the weight of his eyes on her, along with the unanswered questions hanging in the air. She wonders if her heart betrayed the fact she's not in love with Stefan anymore.

"I haven't told anyone about us because there's nothing going on. Stefan knows we're not soulmates and that we'll break up sooner rather than later, I just can't do it now," Elena explains. She doesn't owe anything to Elijah-it's hard to wrap her head around the fact he's her soulmate-the best match for her. She still looks him in the eye when she tells him that though. Maybe they owe each other something-but she's not sure what that would be. They don't trust each other yet. It's fine, but she's still on edge around him, soulmate or not. He simply nods at that and she wonders if he cares.

"I'm going to explain everything," Elijah promises and she looks at him, skepticism clear on her face.

* * *

She gets up after he's done talking. She just needs a minute to think, and breathe, and she's pacing.

"Am I going to actually die? Do you think the healing factor will kick in so it'll be harder to kill me? We could test something similar and see if I can recover before the ritual, and then if not we could use your elixir or-" Elena trails off. She looks at Elijah as she stops pacing.

"I'm assuming the healing factor will kick in after blood loss, but I don't think we want to test that. The elixir will work but you can't have vampire blood in your system when you take it. You'll die but come back, with no side effects, I give you my word," Elijah vows.

"You're going to kill him after he kills me? He knows you want your siblings back. What if he tries to kill or dagger you? Are you staying in Mystic Falls after this is over?" Elena asks all of the questions she can think of as she watches him walk over to her in the kitchen. She appreciates that he uses human speed, she can't take another surprise right now.

"After he kills you, he will be weak, I will kill him, regardless of what he says. He won't be able to incapacitate me, even if he does complete the transformation. And I will stay if you want me to," Elijah answers.

She trusts him, and her phone starts to beep again.

"We'll be in touch," he says before he disappears.

* * *

She doesn't tell Stefan everything. Elijah's entitled to a few secrets and she doesn't want him to ask too many questions. Still, a lot of that new information should be spread, including what the curse actually is, and how she'll survive it.

"John's back in town. I couldn't find Isobel and we need help," Stefan admits, and she sighs. There are a million things she could say,but-she needs to talk to Jenna, Jeremy, and Alaric. It's better if Jenna hears from them about John, and Elena knows that they need to tell her about the supernatural too-especially with Katherine stuck in the tomb. If she gets free, she could wreak havoc. It's gonna be another long day, Elena thinks. She's not wrong.

* * *

She calls Elijah as soon as she gets the text from Stefan.

"Caroline's with the werewolves. They kidnapped her because Damon killed Mason, and Damon wants to go in fangs blazing. If Tyler doesn't show up in twenty minutes, they're gonna kill Caroline," Elena says and realizes she didn't say hello. It's been a crazy day, she, Alaric, and Jeremy talked to Jenna about the supernatural. It took-awhile for her to come around-not that any of them blamed her for that. There were a lot of secrets told, but Elena doesn't regret it. Thankfully, no one mentioned her deal with Elijah or about the sacrifice just yet.

"I'll take care of it," Elijah promises immediately. It's ten minutes of waiting before he texts her to call Caroline, she made it home, but not unscathed. She thanks him in a quick text before she calls Caroline.

"Are you okay?" Elena asks, and she hears Caroline let out a long sigh.

"I was tortured and I'm covered in blood. Mr. Martin took down all of the werewolves with some magic and made sure I got home. And I was supposed to talk to Matt tonight and I told him I was with you but we were supposed to really talk, about everything, and now I just want to take a shower," Caroline tells her. It's good to know Caroline's cover, but

"If you want, Bonnie and I can come over and help you clean up. You take a shower and we'll do the laundry and we'll eat dinner," Elena suggests. After what happened today, she knows Bonnie will drop whatever she's doing for Caroline. Elena sends a text and waits. Bonnie tells her she'll pack a bag and meet her over there.

"That sounds really nice. How soon can you be here?" Caroline asks.

"Ten minutes, tops. Do you want us to sleep over?" Elena asks, hoping she'll say yes. If she can get out of the house in a few minutes, she might able to miss John and help Caroline.

One of those things happens, but when it's quiet, and they're getting ready for bed, she tells Elijah about what's happened, and she thanks him again. There's still a lot to deal with-John and Isobel, the Salvatores are up to something, then there's Tyler and the werewolves, Katherine in the tomb, and she needs to make sure everyone she cares about lives at the end of this. Elijah texts back-thanking her for the update. He also adds that he hopes she has sweet dreams. Elena can't help but think of how she needs to break up with Stefan when she reads it.

* * *

Bonnie groans when they get up in the morning. Elena honestly can't blame her as she keeps her eyes closed.

"I don't want to deal with real life today," Caroline complains. Elena keeps her face buried in her pillow as she tries to think.

"What if we didn't have to?" Elena mumbles the question into her pillow.

"What are you thinking?" Caroline yawns.

"We could go to the lake house. Just tell a few people we're leaving, grab some food, make a weekend out of it," Elena suggests. Bonnie shifts, stealing more of the comforter.

"Let's do it. We could use a weekend without drama," Caroline decides, sitting up.

"Who all are we telling?" Bonnie asks.

"Caroline's mom, your dad, Jenna, and Jeremy," Elena decides. She leaves off that she's telling Elijah. They need to trust each other and it might come in handy if anything goes wrong. In a few minutes, they'll try to actually make a plan, but they're going to sleep in for a while first.

* * *

They're all currently having boy problems, Elena realizes as she watches Caroline drive. Technically, her problem is under wraps because she doesn't really know how to unpack the fact Elijah is her soulmate. It might make them understand why she trusts Elijah to the extent that she does, but she doesn't want it used against her either.

"It's been forever," Bonnie says as the lakehouse comes into view.

"Yeah. Hey Care, let me out and I'll open the garage for you," Elena says. It takes a second for her to get out and remember the code, but Caroline pulls in with ease. They don't have much to move in, but as they get to the door, Elena invites Caroline in.

"Thanks," Caroline smiles and Elena smiles back. It's odd to be back here without her parents, or even Jeremy. They adjust the thermostat and put their bags in different rooms, and plan dinner.

Elena wonders if they'll be like this in college, if any of them will live together like this in the future. It sounds nice, but she's still wondering if she's actually going to have a future. Her phone beeps with a text from Elijah, as Caroline's sliding bread into the oven.

 _Alaric, Stefan, and Damon were attacked by werewolves at the Boarding House. They were looking for the moonstone. Your friends are safe._ The text makes her gasp, and Bonnie looks over immediately.

"What happened?" Bonnie asks. Elena sends a concerned text to Alaric, then to Stefan.

"Alaric and the Salvatores were attacked by Tyler's werewolf friends at the Boarding House. Everyone's okay. But they want to break the curse too. They don't get that it's a curse on Klaus, not both species," Elena tells them. Caroline begins to walk back to the living room and freezes.

"Someone just drove up. Were we expecting visitors?" Caroline asks. Bonnie and Elena shake their heads in unison.

"Werewolves. One of them is Tyler," Caroline says, exhaling. Elena tenses, but Bonnie just sighs, and walks to the front door.

The other man is already on his knees, hands clutching his head, and Tyler is staring at her with wide eyes.

"Your friends tried to kill Stefan and Damon and Mr. Saltzman for a moonstone. Do you know what the Sun and Moon curse is? It's on a vampire named Klaus. Very old, very powerful, and partially a werewolf. But witches like Bonnie here are very stubborn about keeping a balance-and his werewolf side was locked away with magic. To let it out, he needs to kill a werewolf, a vampire, Elena, and that moonstone. We aren't trying to break the curse. I don't know what your friends told you, but they're lying. If Elena dies and Klaus breaks this thing-no one wins but him. No one gets anything out of this curse being broken by anyone," Caroline tells them. Tyler shakes his head.

"They said this was going on for hundreds of years. That it was one of the causes for the divide between the two," Tyler manages to say.

"It was a trap. If every member of two warring species are out to find two rare things-they're gonna be easier to find," Bonnie tells him and he shakes his head as Elena joins her friends in the doorway.

"I'm going to give you twenty seconds to decide. If you really want to try and take Elena, you can try. Or, you can leave, with everything still intact. Your choice," Bonnie tells them. The other werewolf stops wincing in pain, and moves his hands away from his head. He shares a look with Tyler, and they walk to their car.

"The guy he was with-he was the one who tortured me," Caroline says quietly. They watch the car leave, until they can't see the lights anymore. It's hard to believe that only happened in a few minutes, the oven beeps when they shut the front door.

Elena sends another round of texts to the right people. She's thankful for her best friends as she adds another log to the fire. If they weren't interested in going to the lake this weekend, she might have tried coming up here by herself.

Dinner passes and a few replies arrive. Alaric assures her everyone's fine, Stefan wants to know where she is, and Elijah is thankful that at least Bonnie doesn't need rescuing.

It's a quiet night, but Elena can't help but stay up, and wander into her parents room. It's still there, like a pressed flower-preserved but not the same, missing the life it once had. It still feels like the room is just waiting for her parents to come back, for them to straighten the perfume bottles, tidy the closet, and sleep in the bed. She can't bring herself to do any of those things, but she looks in the closet. Maybe after all of this is over, she and Jenna will clean this out together. They can't leave it like a shrine to her parents forever, even if it's easy to close her eyes and expect them to be there when she opens them. She notices a loose board in part of the closet, and she wiggles it until it comes out. The planks next to it do the same, and she quietly sets them on the floor. There's a hidden door in her parent's closet. Hidden and locked. It reminds her of the hard talk with Jenna.

She admitted that Miranda Gilbert told her vampires were real when they were younger and she'd never taken her sister seriously. Elena looks around the closet, moving clothes and shoes until she finds a key for the lock. It clicks open and she holds her breath. It's a full walk-in closet-filled with weapons, stakes, and a few stacks of journals. It's gonna take a while to catalog all of this and sort through all of the journals. No one else is up and she can't sleep-so she might as well take a stack of books back to her room and read. So that's what she does, she takes a few pictures of the room, just how she found it, and takes a stack of journals and a stake with her to her room.

* * *

Johnathan Gilbert has a lot to say about vampires, especially Stefan. He had one of the Gilbert rings on when Stefan killed him. It's not the best thing to read before bed, but she keeps reading until her eyes close.

The next day is quiet but still fun. They watch bad movies and good movies and eat entirely too much popcorn. It's a good day. They haven't talked about when they're leaving but Elena entertains the idea of never going back as Bonnie and Caroline go upstairs to get some sleep. It sounds nice in theory but they need to graduate high school and she has to deal with reality. Maybe if she wants to stretch her legs she'll see if there are other secrets in the lake house. She walks up to the secret closet and thinks about picking another journal.

Her phone rings and startles her, it's late and she was planning on another night of reading journals. She checks the caller ID and answers, quietly.

"Elijah? Is everything okay?" she murmurs, trying to stay quiet.

"Can you meet me outside?" he asks instead. Elena looks down at herself, the sweater she's wearing and the blanket she has around her shoulders.

"It's cold out there, you're welcome inside," Elena says. A moment later, she sees him standing next to her. There's a bloody hole in his shirt. The glimpse of skin that Elena can see looks healed and smooth, but she tries not to stare, and moves her eyes to his face. She looks at him with an open mouth, as she tries to find the right things to say other than holy shit.

"What happened? Are you okay?" she asks. They're in the closet, next to all of the sharp weapons and old journals,

"Your friends tried to kill me," Elijah says, watching for her reaction.

"Oh my god. You're sure you're okay? Do you need blood? We have blood because Caroline's here, you're welcome to that," Elena offers. He can hear her heartbeat, he knows she's being genuine.

"We should move to the living room. Less likely to wake the others up and then you could get blood or something. You look pale. Paler than usual," Elena tells him, and he follows her down the stairs. When she reaches the last one, she turns around and faces him.

"I didn't know. They all kept me, Bonnie, and Caroline in the dark. Who all was involved?" Elena asks. She's telling the truth again, as she tells him she had nothing to do with it. He tells her about the dinner party and she tells him there's no way Jenna knew either. He settles into the couch and she blinks.

"If you were technically dead for a second, would that release Katherine from the tomb? You did get daggered," Elena muses. Elijah shakes his head.

"Katherine should still be in the tomb. I'll send someone to check on that, though," Elijah tells her. She bites her lip before she decides to ask a question that's been bugging her.

"You can't be compelled by anyone else, right? That's an Original thing?" Elena asks and he nods.

"So, hypothetically if I wanted to be paranoid, I could only trust you, right? Or vampires who have vervain in their system all the time?" Elena wonders, raising an eyebrow. He nods.

"Klaus could compel anyone. Including Stefan or Damon," Elijah tells her. Elena stares at him for a moment. She's not sure how regularly Stefan and Damon drink vervain, or how far back they need to worry about. If anyone close to her was compelled to do something and compelled not to speak of it or remember it-she could die for real.

"Or Katherine. Caroline drinks vervain regularly," Elena sighs. If Klaus been hunting Katherine for centuries and he found her-it'd be fitting for her to find the next doppelganger. Klaus could use her as the vampire sacrifice and kill two doppelgangers with one stone. She does her best not to shiver at the thought.

"Most of the town is safe, vervain is in almost everything. It used to be in the water supply," Elena tells him and there's a slight smirk to his lips.

"I don't stay in town because of the vervain the council puts in everything," he divulges. She feels close to him right now, sitting a few inches away, telling her secrets, and planning with him.

"We're headed back in the morning, and I don't want to. I've been going though my parents' room and I found that hidden closet. They knew vampires existed, most of my family has-including the people who wrote those journals. I just-wonder if they knew that I'm the doppelganger, or if they knew all of this would happen," Elena wonders. There's no way to know, unless her parents wrote and left journals about this too. She's not sure if she even wants to know, especially if her parents knew and kept another large secret from her and took it to their graves.

"I was wondering about your decorating choices earlier," he says lightly. She smiles at him before she yawns. Elijah stands up as she yawns again.

"It's late, I should let you sleep. I'll see you tomorrow," Elijah smiles and she watches him disappear. It's hard to drag herself back upstairs, but she does after she makes sure the doors are locked. If she wasn't Elijah's soulmate, she wonders what he would have done differently. Surely Damon and Alaric had to know that if Elijah didn't stay staked he would come for her.

As soon as they're back in Mystic Falls, there's drama. Isobel shows on her doorstep and Jenna frowns with her arms crossed. Isobel's trying to sow discord, but Jenna knows everything. Neither of them are inviting her in.

"I need to talk to you," Isobel insists and Elena shakes her head. She slams the door shut and locks it. If Isobel wanted to drive them out she'd set the house on fire but it seems unlikely she'd go that far. There's not much they can do about Isobel and Elena explains that.

 _Isobel just showed up on my doorstep. She and John must be up to something._ Elena sends the text to Elijah. Best case scenario, Isobel feels bad about being an absent mother and wants to make up for it. Worse case scenario, she actually did find Klaus, and she wants to drag her daughter to the sacrificial altar. Elena shudders. She's just thankful she got into the house before Isobel showed up.

"I'm going to work on my paper for most of the day, if you need anythinglet me know," Jenna says and walks up the stairs with an enormous mug of coffee in her hands.

* * *

Stefan was coming to pick her up for breakfast, instead, they're watching John and Isobel talk. She's not actively listening to the bullshit that's coming out of their mouths. Elena's stomach growls but she ignores it. John and Isobel begin to explain their plan for saving her and she wants to interject-she has Elijah. Still, keeping them a secret is safer, they don't know if Isobel is being compelled. John has probably taken vervain religiously every day, knowing him, even though Elena knows that she really doesn't know him anymore. The good thing about having Stefan around is that he's older and stronger than Isobel, if it comes to a fight, he'll win.

"I have a safe house for you. The deed is in your name. You don't have to invite anyone in, you'll be safe there," Isobel assures her and Elena shakes her head. No one trusts Elijah and she understands that, but all of their other options are useless.

"So I can go live there while Klaus murders everyone I care about and the entire town trying to find me? Then he can burn it down and get me out and kill me anyway? No thank you. I have a plan," Elena reminds Isobel. John is wisely staying silent and she knows Stefan doesn't agree with her plan but he's not going to mention that right now. They need to be a united front in front of John and Isobel.

Isobel sighs at her and John shoots her a disappointed look. Elena can't bring herself to care about what they think, they might be her biological parents, but they didn't care about her until just now. Her phone is upstairs, she wishes she could text Elijah and fix this. He could compel Isobel to leave Mystic Falls. She can't get how Isobel looked at her out of her mind-with cold, calculating eyes and something soulless about her. Elena wonders if Isobel actually sees her. It must be so odd to be friends with her great great great grandmother who looks like her daughter. Maybe all Isobel's ever seen her as a copy. The thought should hurt, but it doesn't.

"We'll talk later," Isobel promises, before she and John walk out the front door. As soon as the door shuts Elena sprints up the stairs and to her room-she needs her phone. While Isobel's safe house idea was ridiculous, Elena doesn't want to live somewhere that Isobel's been invited in.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asks as he watches her type as fast as she can.

"Telling Jenna. Our house isn't safe. We need a house where Isobel can't get in or we need Bonnie to make our house safe again. If Isobel wants to take any of us, she can. I'm willing to bet she's not on vervain, and if she ran into Klaus she could be compelled," Elena explains. She's not lying, she is texting Jenna, but she's texting Elijah next.

"If you signed the deed to our house, we could have the Scooby gang over for a sleepover," Damon says and Elena jumps. Stefan sighs but nods as he considers his brother's words. She's trying to get used to vampires appearing whenever they want but she's pretty sure Damon loves startling her as much as possible.

"It is large enough. We could have you, Jeremy, Jenna, Alaric, Bonnie, and Caroline here. Klaus can't use any of us to get to you because we'd all be together," Stefan notes. It would be safe from vampires at least, and there's strength in numbers. None of them have any idea what Klaus looks like. Katherine knows what Klaus looks like, but she's stuck in the tomb. Stefan thinks about how she must be desiccating in the tomb.

"I'll text everybody. How quickly can you get a lawyer over there?" Elena asks.

"In an hour," Damon answers, She doesn't want to know why he could answer that so quickly, but at least there's progress. Hopefully in the time between being home and living with the Salvatores-she can talk to Elijah.

* * *

"Are John and Isobel on your list?" Elijah inquires. Elena sighs. They only have a few minutes and she figured face to face would be faster than texting. She managed to convince the Salvatores that she'd be fine for the ten minutes it would take for Caroline and Bonnie to get to her house. She should get up from the window seat, next to Elijah, and pack.

"I don't know. On one hand, they're my biological parents. On the other hand, I don't know them. But I'm also running out of parental figures. I mean, I love Jenna but she's in grad school-she didn't expect she'd have custody of us. And John is my dad who didn't raise me and Isobel-didn't want me either. It's just-Isobel said she was looking for Klaus. I'm just worried she found him-and she's not in control of herself. If we kill him, his compulsion will stop on everyone he's hurt. The Martins will get Greta back," Elena says, voice full of hope. She's not sure how long that will last. She feels so much older than she is, weighed down with grief and worry.

"And soon, your friends will be over to pick you up. And tomorrow is the Decade Dance?" Elijah inquires. Elena smiles but she looks lost in a memory. He knows they don't know each other well enough to pull her out of it.

"The last one, we all carpooled and my mom helped me with my dress. I don't have anything lined up for this year. The theme is the sixties. And the dance is on a Monday. But we have the rest of the week off for teacher work days," Elena informs him. Elijah arches an eyebrow.

"I don't get it either, but it's convenient. And when I sign the deed-I'll invite you in later tonight, just in case," Elena adds, aware that she should be packing. It's also a question of what to pack-if Klaus comes this week and Elijah's sure he will-what does she want to wear to potentially die in? The thought is morbid and she realizes it must have shown on her face because Elijah's eyebrows are drawn together.

"Are you okay?" Elijah asks, his voice is soft. She's thankful for him.

She wants to make a joke about how she doesn't have a long white dress or a crossbow, but she's pretty sure he'd miss the Buffy reference.

"Walk me through the ritual night again?" she requests. He nods and she tries to convince herself it's just nerves. Although, she can't think of anyone who wouldn't have nerves if they knew they might die forever in a few days.

Elijah leaves a minute before Caroline's car parks in the driveway. Caroline doesn't blame her for not being packed already, she just helps her pack, almost wordlessly. Bonnie checks things off the list and it's a comfortable silence, but there are still things that need to be said.

"It's going to be okay. This is just temporary. Elijah has that elixir thing and we have enough witch mojo to kill Klaus. We're all gonna make it through this," Caroline reminds her. Bonnie's been working with the Martins and Elena knows she trusts them because they're witches-Bonnie still doesn't trust Elijah.

"The waiting just makes me anxious. I want this over. I want to have fun at the Decade Dance tomorrow without worrying that Klaus is going to appear or try something. I don't even have anything to wear. You're going as Jackie O, right?" Elena asks. Caroline grins.

"And Matt is gonna be JFK," Caroline beams. Elena's pretty sure it'd be easier to go as Marilyn Monroe and JFK with Caroline's hair, but she knows it's too late for an outfit change.

"You know, Stefan lived through the sixties. I'm sure he's got some clothes you could borrow," Bonnie suggests. Elena sighs and she wants to talk about the fact they're in the same boat.

"Stefan and I aren't soulmates, and I don't know how to break up with him. Like he's sweet and I love him but-" Elena trails off, lost in thought.

"You aren't in love with him," Caroline finishes. Elena nods. She hasn't admitted it to anyone but Elijah, it's a weight off her shoulders.

"I haven't told Matt I'm a vampire. He's human and I'm a vampire and we aren't soulmates either. I think that it's okay to date. It takes a while to find them sometimes. It's not important that they're our first relationship, but our last," Caroline says sagely. Elena's not ready to tell them the truth yet.

"I'm not sure if I should break up with him now or after the sacrifice. He has to expect it, right?" Elena asks and her friends nod.

"After. Tensions are running too high to do it right now," Bonnie tells her sagely. They still need to get over to the Boarding House and wait, but Caroline shoves some socks in Elena's duffel bag and zips it up. Elena's reminded of where they need to go, but she's not going alone.

"We've got your back, no matter what," Caroline promises.

"And we have a surprise for you when we get settled at the boarding house," Bonnie grins at her.

* * *

Alaric and Jenna have their own bedroom set up, and Elena watches them for a moment through the partially open door. Alaric hands Jenna a cup of coffee as she types on her laptop, grinning slightly. He kisses her temple and she grins as he looks over her shoulder at whatever she's working on. She walks to the room Stefan picked for her, next to his. She drops her bag in the room and takes it in, thankful for the silence. They can all settle in for the night, but she knows everyone notices she has her own room, away from Stefan. Separate.

Elena thinks about the vervain she has in everything, and how it still might not protect her. If Stefan wanted to hurt her, he could. If Damon wanted to play mind games and hurt her-he could. She's not safe from them here or anywhere. They've been invited in. Elijah hasn't scared her since they first met-but she wonders what he would have done if they weren't soulmates. She thinks about that often, Elijah makes her question a lot of things in her life.

* * *

After dinner, Caroline and Bonnie find Elena in her room, both holding gray boxes.

"Is this my surprise?" Elena asks and they grin. Caroline hands her one of the boxes and Elena lifts the lid. It's a 60's style dress, purple and retro in the best way. There are matching earrings that make her smile so widely it hurts. Bonnie hands her the next box, and she opens that too. It's got white gogo boots that look like Bonnie's and she drops the box on the bed so she can hug her best friends.

"I love you so much," Elena tells them, hugging them.

"That's why we ran a few minutes late,. Things have been crazy lately and we knew you didn't get anything for the dance," Caroline grins into Elena's shoulder. Elena debates spilling her secret as the hug ends and they sit on her bed. They aren't the only ones in the boarding house and the Salvatores have super hearing. The news of fate and soulmates can wait, she thinks. It's not like it's a transcendent relationship that she's hidden for years.

Stefan hasn't said much to her lately and she wonders if he can feel their relationship slowly decaying and dying like she can. Elena tries to remember the last time they kissed. Maybe it was a few days before they met Elijah. Bonnie and Caroline sprawl out on the guest bed with her and talk about the decade dance, completely avoiding the topics of Klaus, Stefan or Elijah. Everything has been so heavy and stressful lately, they deserve one good night.

Eventually, they leave to get ready for bed and Elena begins to unpack her things. There's a knock at her door and she knows it's Stefan, Damon wouldn't bother, Jenna and Alaric are probably asleep already, and Jeremy would have just texted her. She opens the door and she's aware of the distance they both keep between them, not that she minds.

"Can we talk?" Stefan asks. Elena knows it's better to just rip this bandaid off, to just get this over with.

* * *

School is routine, she has Caroline, Bonnie, or Stefan with her at almost all times. Klaus would probably stick out if he showed his face at school. The dance is where she thinks he'd strike if he wanted to, he could probably blend in with the chaperones. Elijah looks like he was older when he was turned, she doubts Klaus is going to blend in with the senior class, and she already told Damon that. Jenna's the only one staying at the boarding house during the dance, she's up to her eyes in homework. It's probably for the best, everyone else is packing weapons or super strength. Bonnie grins as Elena pretends to slide a stake into her boot.

"I could go as sixties Buffy," Elena jokes and Caroline rolls her eyes.

"Hold still, I'm about to do your eyeliner," Bonnie warns Elena. Caroline has the easiest hair and makeup out of all of them, a natural look and perfectly done layers.

"Okay, I'm gonna do your mascara now," Bonnie continues and Elena holds her eyes open and can feel her lashes get weighed down with mascara.

"Okay, your turn," Elena says as they swap positions.

"Do you want me to start working on your hair while she does your makeup?" Caroline asks and Bonnie nods. Elena loves these moments, they don't need to say much, they know each other.

"Okay, here's your current eye makeup. Do you want eyeshadow that matches your dress?" Elena asks.

"I think I'm good," Bonnie tells her.

"Hey, I think Matt's texting you," Elena says. They know Elena broke up with Stefan and it's made Caroline evaluate about her relationship with Matt. They know they're not soulmates and she wants to make sure Matt knows they're just having fun.

"I'll reply after I get Bonnie's hair done," Caroline promises. Elena texts Elijah about the dance, about their worry he'll be there, and that she's not going to let a threat stop her from going. If she let threats or danger keep her from going places, she's never leave her house, and she's not going to be alone tonight.

 _I take it that you found an outfit?_ Elijah texts.

 _Yup. Bonnie and Caroline got something put together for me because they knew I didn't have one. They're the best._ Elena tells him. They have a few minutes before they're going to leave, and Elena has a good feeling about the dance.

* * *

"Of course they're playing a 90's band covering a 60's song instead of the original," Damon complains as they walk in.

"Of course you have to complain about something the minute we walk in," Caroline retorts. Matt smiles at her and offers his arm. Bonnie and Jeremy are already holding hands as they walk in. Elena waits for a moment to adjust her belt and she notices the brothers staring at her. She's not paired off and they have an odd number. Damon knows she's single and Stefan broke up with her last night in the best way possible, it was mutual and easy. All she feels when she looks at him is relief, it's over, and she doesn't have to worry about hurting him. Elena walks straight into the gym looking right in front of her, ignoring both of them.

It feels good, and she's working on getting used to the gogo boots as she walks into someone. They reach a hand out to steady her and she looks up at the person she's about to apologize to. Elijah.

"You cut your hair. And you look very sixties," she smiles at him.

"I should, this suit is from the sixties," he tells her and she gives him an impressed look.

"Do I look authentic enough?" she asks, and part of her brain reminds her that this could be seen as flirting. The rest of her brain speaks over that part and reminds her that she's going to end up flirting with Elijah sooner or later, and it's pretty harmless considering she's going to end up with him. The details aren't set in stone, haven't even been talked about, but she doesn't want to talk about it here and now, she wants him to dance with her, and to have a normal night.

"Very authentic, including the makeup," Elijah compliments her. There's still space between them, but she looks at the dance floor and back to him.

"Why isn't Stefan dancing with you?" Elijah wonders. Elena remembers out of all of the chaos of the last few days, she forgot to tell him.

"Stefan and I broke up, actually. Last night. It was mutual, and we said we'll stay friends," Elena informs him and she sees a real grin on his face. It makes her what all of his grins and smiles look like and when she'll see them. It's a dangerous thought but she lets herself have it. Elena's not going to let herself worry about tonight or Elijah, they're going to have fun. She wants to reach for his hand and pull him to the dance floor but there are too many eyes watching. He has to make the first move.

"Would you like to dance?" Elijah asks and she laughs.

"It's like you read my mind. Just a warning, I'm not used to these boots so I might be a little slow. No fancy footwork for now," Elena warns him and he pulls her onto the dance floor as a new song begins.

"ABBA isn't sixties," Elena says and Elijah nods in agreement.

"One of the best songs to come out of Eurovision," Elijah tells her and she nods.

"They won in 1974 right?" Elena asks.

"They did," he confirms.

Waterloo blasts through the speakers and he guides her in a dance. She mouths the words and he mouths them back and it's so easy to laugh and dance with him. Klaus doesn't even come to mind and she doesn't think of the implication of the lyrics. They fit somehow, he is her Waterloo in a way. Their status is inescapable, and they're supposed to be together. Here and now, their relationship doesn't seem so predestined and intimidating, it seems like common sense, like singing along to ABBA.

The song could have looped and she wouldn't have even noticed, she thinks, her focus has narrowed to just Elijah and the lyrics.

Damon walks up to them as the song ends, one Elena doesn't recognize begins, and her eyes move from Elijah to Damon.

"Mind if I cut in?" Damon asks, but it's obvious from his tone that he doesn't really care what either of them think.

"Not at all," Elijah lies. He watches Elena sigh as Damon drags her away. If they weren't in a crowd, he thinks.

"What are you doing dancing with Elijah? Why is he here?" Damon fires off questions like bullets. They dance without touching and she tries to match the beat of the song.

"He asked me to dance. Was I supposed to say no to one of the most powerful people on the planet?" Elena fires back and Damon raises an eyebrow.

"So you have no idea why he's here?" Damon asks, blue eyes boring into hers. Elena shakes her head.

"Really? Because you're the only one he talks to out of all of us," Damon reminds her.

"Well maybe he wants to hear from me directly instead of having you speak for me. I know what I want and I trust Elijah. This is going to work out Damon. Just let it," Elena says. She's not going to beg, she's not going to plead, and she's not going to insist. She doesn't control Damon and she doesn't want to. The song begins to slow and she can see Elijah walking up with two cups of punch as another song begins. Elena makes a note to ask Caroline who was in charge of music for the dance, because she recognizes it as the singer begins to speak.

"My boyfriend's back and you're gonna be in trouble," Elena sings along, pretending like she doesn't want to grin at the implication of the song. Elijah walking back to them and he does match the lyrics in a way. Elena keeps singing along, there are a few people who know the lyrics around her doing the same thing. She can see Caroline and Matt spinning around, acting out the lyrics and laughing.

"I got you punch, everything okay over here?" Elijah asks innocently, like he didn't hear their entire conversation or see the tension in the air.

"It's fine. Thank you. Maybe we should get off the dance floor for a moment," Elena says, accepting the plastic cup of bright red punch.

"Good idea," Elijah offers his free hand and she takes it, without looking back at Damon. They end up standing against the wall drinking punch as a Beatles song plays. There are so many things she wants to say to him but she can't, not out loud. Elena takes her phone out of her pocket.

"I love that this dress has pockets," Elena tells him as she types a few things out and hits send. His phone beeps a moment later.

 _Thank you for the save from Damon. I think he's under the assumption that if I'm not with Stefan I should be with him. It's been a little tense. I wouldn't mind dancing again after we finish our punch._

Elijah texts her back and she looks at her phone after it beeps.

 _Happy to be of assistance. Klaus isn't here by the way. I doubt he'll show up._ Elijah replies. He watches Elena exhale and give him a relieved grin. Elena dances with him for the rest of the night, safe and happy. There's no weight or expectation to this, and she knows life will resume as normal tomorrow, but she's going to savor having a dance where they don't worry about murder. The last decade dance Damon and Stefan killed someone, and this dance they're worried about her being killed. They move around the floor. It's been fun, dancing with her friends with the high energy songs that don't need a partner, but it's also nice to have a partner who actually knows how to dance. It's nice to be paired off with someone who actually wants to dance with her.

The last few songs are for slow dances and she lets herself be led by Elijah as they listen to Save the Last Dance for Me. It's honestly a perfect night, and he bids her a goodnight when the song ends. It's the last song of the night and she watches him walk out. She needs to talk with Bonnie and Caroline later tonight, without the Salvatores. It's easy to steal Caroline and Bonnie away, she shoots a text to Alaric for him to drive Jeremy when he leaves the dance. This could have been an awful night, with everyone waiting and watching for Klaus to show. She pictures some mysterious man grabbing her and screaming her lungs out in the parking lot before Mystic Falls disappears in front of her. She can easily picture some fight in the school with someone bleeding or dying, and she shivers. This might have been her favorite decade dance so far, and she knows it's all due to the people she was with.

* * *

"I have to tell you something and it needs to stay between us," Elena begins and Caroline raises an eyebrow.

"Elijah is my soulmate," Elena begins and lets it all come out. It's a weight off her chest and it's a secret she knows they'll keep.

"I'm glad we didn't drag you away during Waterloo then. Bonnie and I were thinking about doing the dance from Mamma Mia with you for that," Caroline tells her and Elena laughs.

"I wonder what other ABBA songs he likes?" Bonnie teases. There's no tension in the moment, just trust.

"Do you two have a plan for-" Caroline begins. Elena shakes her head.

"We don't have a plan of any kind. I don't want to think about it tonight, you know?" Elena admits. The full moon is coming like a sign of her impending doom, and she can't let herself think about it right now. Tonight was good, and it was full of laughter and dancing-she doesn't want to overthink and ruin it.

* * *

The next night is the full moon and she can't help but spending the entire day anxious. The text she gets from Elijah that morning makes her anxiety spike.

 _We need to talk. I have to adjust the plan._

What's wrong? I'm still at the Boarding House if you want to come over. Elena sends the text as fast as she can. There's a knock at the door a few minutes later, and Elijah looks tired. She can hear Stefan or Damon appear behind her.

"Oh, I invite you in," Elena says, knowing he doesn't need an invitation. It's just for appearances, but only she and Elijah know that.

"Why are you here? We just had breakfast," Damon says and Elena suppresses her sigh.

"There's been a change of plans. I'm not going to permanently kill Klaus. If I do, everyone turned from his line will die with him. That includes Katerina and everyone she turned," Elijah says. Elena looks at Stefan and Damon, Caroline shooting her a confused look, and sees the gears moving in Bonnie's head.

"If you don't kill him, can you incapacitate him?" Elena asks and Elijah nods.

"We can spell a coffin for him. He'll dessicate slowly and the world will be safe from him," Elijah explains. Damon squints at him, face full of doubt, and can still smell maple syrup and sugar in the air.

"That sounds reasonable. Is that it?" Caroline asks and Elijah nods.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Damon asks.

"If he wanted you dead, Damon, why would he warn us that killing Klaus might kill you three?" Bonnie asks and rolls her eyes.

"I'll see you tonight," Elijah tells Elena, his hand brushing against her arm. It feels intentional and she's not sure if it's meant to be comforting, but it's calming and she resists the urge to smile. He walks out the door and Elena doesn't mind dealing with the fallout. There's still a plan, they're all still going to play their roles.

* * *

Elena takes the elixir and leaves with Elijah. Klaus must have reached out to him somehow, but before they get out of his car, she looks at him for a long moment. She wants to ask if they're still on the same page, if they're going to get through the night, but instead, she just hums part of Waterloo. Elijah hums with her before they leave the car. It's comforting and she wants to hold her hand as he's leading her to Klaus, but she knows they can't. They see a werewolf and Katherine, both surrounded by rings of fire. Elena can hear a few seconds of Waterloo being hummed by Elijah, as he presents her to Klaus.

It feels like an hour has passed before he puts her in a ring of fire just for her. The smoke makes her eyes water and she can see Klaus talking to Elijah, smiling, and she looks away from them. She doesn't see Klaus kill Katherine or the werewolf, she has her eyes closed. She can hear Katherine beg for her life and Elena hears her scream. It makes sense for Katherine to die in the ritual she turned into a vampire to avoid, in a way. The fire around her fades and she watches Klaus walk to her.

Her blood freezes in her veins, but his fangs are in her neck before she fully realizes it. She can't see Elijah but she tries to remember how to hum as her head gets lighter. Klaus drops her to the ground and she tries to blink.

She's not dead-her heartbeat is weak as Elijah goes after Klaus. It feels like her neck is healing but she's not sure how far her healing factorgoes, if it's supposed to stop her from dying like this. She's not sure she ever thought she'd die, just like this, bleeding on the cold ground, waiting for her soulmate to kill his brother. She watches Elijah and Klaus says things to each other, angry faces in front of the fire before her eyes close. Elena hears one of them groan, she hopes it's Klaus and that's over before her eyes close.

* * *

"Elijah?" Elena asks blearily, she can feel dried blood on her neck and she sees Caroline first.

"He's not here, he said he had some business to take care of, but you're okay. Klaus is stuck in a coffin and he'll be desiccating for the rest of time," Caroline grins. Elena grins back. She'll need to text Elijah later, but for now, she wants to see the people she cares about and celebrate the fact she's not dead. Elijah isn't in that group as far as most people know. It's easier to keep the secret still, and she knows she'll see him later. Caroline grins at her and suggests a victory breakfast. Elena wonders how Stefan and Damon are handling the death of Katherine.

* * *

That afternoon, they all move out of the Boarding House to give Stefan and Damon some space. Life is going back to normal, or at least as normal as life can be in Mystic Falls now, Elena thinks. She'll need to deal with John and Isobel eventually, and the facts that come with them. Technically, she has a set of living parents. She'll fight tooth and nail if they try to take her from Jenna, this house is her home, and it's where she belongs.

Thinking of Isobel makes her think about Katherine and their relationship. Isobel must be in mourning if she can still feel anything anymore. When Isobel was just an old picture with an office at Duke Elena thought about going there. Now she knows that she doesn't want to do that, not for Isobel, and there aren't majors she's interested in there anyway. Since Elijah saved her life, she has to think about senior year, college, and beyond that.

 _Hey, can you call me when you have time?_ Elena sends the text and begins to unpack as she keeps thinking.

Elijah. Somehow, most of her thoughts end up coming back to him. He's inescapable and they're inevitable. She wonders if he knows that there's a song called You're My Waterloo but she doesn't send that text. She'll go to college and she might turn into a vampire after that, but Elena has her entire life ahead of her. All of these pressing questions don't have to be answered right now.

She's not facing the future alone, either. Elijah will be with her, and so will her friends and family. Her phone rings and Elena grins at the sound. Fate and destiny don't seem so scary as Waterloo begins to play. Elena lets it play for a few more seconds before she answers the call.

Maybe someday, they'll actually go to Waterloo, but for now, she'll settle for the song.


End file.
